The Central Chamber - The Devil's Cabin
Guided by a spherical drone, the second client of the day sat before Ernst.
It was a striking woman, flanked by two stoic attendants.
A rare, genial smile touched Ernst's face.
"Welcome, Ms. Carter. I don't know what you've brought to exchange today, but for Captain America's sake, perhaps I can offer a discount."
Carter's face remained an unreadable mask.
"You know me?" she asked, her voice perfectly level, hiding the absolute shock beneath.
As the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., her identity was a ghost.
"Of course," Ernst chuckled. "Peggy Carter. Captain America's girl... well, ex-girlfriend now."
He leaned back. "Homeland Strategic... whatever. Let's just call it S.H.I.E.L.D."
"I know you. I know Howard Stark. I even knew Steve Rogers back when he was short."
Carter's blood ran cold. Captain America's medical history was highly classified.
She didn't take the bait. She pivoted immediately.
"You know everything about us, and we know nothing about you. That asymmetry is unfair."
"There is no fair or unfair," Ernst dismissed.
"The world is vast and inherently unjust. Do not overthink it."
Carter nodded slowly. "Perhaps. But your tone... it doesn't sound very demonic. It makes me question your identity."
"Does it matter? Treat this as a marketplace. We are business partners. You pay what satisfies me, and you receive what you desire."
As a master spy, Carter read the room. She sensed he was telling the truth, or at least his version of it.
She also knew pushing a volatile, unknown entity too hard was bad tradecraft.
"Very well. Business it is. Can I exchange for anything here?"
Ernst waved his hand. "I am not an omnipotent god. But I have items that are priceless to humanity."
"Big customers have privileges. Take a look."
Ernst tapped the heavy wooden table.
A beam of hard light projected from the ceiling, forming a crisp, interactive holographic screen in front of Carter.
It displayed a scrolling catalog of magical artifacts and their descriptions.
Carter's eyes widened. She recognized the technological leap instantly.
"Incredible," she murmured.
"Is this extraterrestrial? What is the price for this holographic technology? Or the hovering drones?"
"Not for sale," Ernst replied flatly.
"The tech is a century ahead of Earth's current paradigm. Even if I sold it to you, your scientists couldn't replicate it."
"Furthermore, you wouldn't dare use it. You'd be paralyzed by the fear that I had installed a backdoor to steal your secrets."
Carter closed her mouth. He was entirely correct. The Security Council would never authorize its use.
"You think far ahead," she conceded.
She turned her attention to the glowing screen, swiping through the pages as Ernst had shown her.
She paused at a potion promising life extension and eternal youth. As a woman, the allure was undeniable.
But she kept her face neutral. Her eyes flicked down, stopping at a different entry.
"I am unfamiliar with this... Enhancement Potion," she noted.
Ernst saw exactly what she was doing.
"Think of it as a clean alternative to the Super Soldier Serum," Ernst offered.
He had synthesized magic and science to recreate the formula.
"Tell me more," Carter said, her interest now entirely focused.
"It comes in three tiers," Ernst explained.
"Low-level doubles or triples baseline human fitness. No side effects."
"Mid-level grants four to seven times baseline. It requires a robust, healthy host. Elite special forces can survive it."
"High-level pushes the body up to twelve times human limits. Captain America's level."
Ernst leaned forward, his voice dropping.
"But the high-level variant is dangerous. The pain breaks the mind, and the power amplifies inner desires. Good becomes great. Bad becomes worse. Look at Rogers and the Red Skull. I advise caution."
Carter absorbed the briefing in silence.
She closed her eyes, calculated the geopolitical weight of such an asset, and gestured to her attendant.
A heavy, secure briefcase was placed on the table.
Carter entered a complex cipher. The case clicked open.
She spun it around, pushing it toward Ernst.
"How many potions will this buy?"
Ernst glanced inside.
It was a collection of bizarre occult artifacts: talisman-inscribed masks, patterned petrified wood, and strange animal bones.
One was the horn of a fire dragon.
Valuable, yes. But underwhelming.
"Ms. Carter, as the Director of an agency shielding the Earth, I expected more," Ernst sighed.
"You must have vaults filled with world-ending artifacts. This is a bit frugal."
Carter kept her face blank. S.H.I.E.L.D. did have world-ending artifacts.
That was exactly why she hadn't brought them to a demon.
"My decisions are constrained by the Council," she lied smoothly.
"Quote me a price for these."
"Very well," Ernst calculated.
"For this box, I can offer three mid-level and two low-level potions."
"Or, seventeen low-level."
"Three mid, two low," Carter decided instantly.
"Can I take them now?"
"Of course," Ernst smiled, retrieving a sealed cryogenic case.
"I trust you will return for future business."
Carter took the case. "Out of curiosity. You mentioned extracting life force. How much life would these artifacts buy?"
"Seventeen years," Ernst replied promptly.
"Or, you can pay in gold. One ton of pure gold buys one year of vitality."
Carter blinked. "One ton? Your penalty for entering without a trade is two years of life. You are extorting people for two tons of gold just for walking through a door."
"Do not accuse me of greed," Ernst chuckled.
"The value isn't in the life force itself. It's in the extraction and preservation."
"Many dark curses can consume a life. Almost no one can safely extract and store it. On this planet, I hold a monopoly."
"Almost no one?" Carter's spy instincts flared.
"There is another?"
"Nicolas Flamel," Ernst admitted dismissively.
"He forged the Philosopher's Stone. But his alchemy is crude. It relies on burning human souls."
"He harvested the death of the plague. Even then, the side effects are severe. My method is flawless."
Carter nodded slowly, understanding the terrifying scale of the being sitting across from her.
"A total monopoly," Carter said softly.
"You hold all the cards."
Ernst smiled a genuine, dangerous smile.
"You are not entirely wrong."
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